Interview with Kenji Nakamura, owner of Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka
We spoke with Kenji Nakamura, owner of “Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka,” about the story behind the unusual name, how he came to open the restaurant, its features and specialties, and his hopes for the future.
The name was inspired by Yukio Aoshima?!
“Ma, Iikka” is a unique and striking name. Where did it come from?
Nakamura
This was before I opened the restaurant. I watched the old movies The Shameless Fellow and The Shameless Fellow: Part Two.
I was moved by a line in the lyrics of the theme song, “The Shameless Fellow”:
“I'm not smart, and I have no money, but I'm always happy”
The lyrics were written by the late Yukio Aoshima.
Then I thought of using a phrase that summed up that line I found so moving as the restaurant's name.
The protagonist of The Shameless Fellow keeps trying, but often finds himself in difficult situations.
Each time, though, he changes his outlook and bounces back.
I thought “Ma, Iikka” (“Well, never mind”) might capture how he felt at those moments.
So I chose “Ma, Iikka” as the restaurant's name.
That's why I have an old poster for The Shameless Fellow: Part Two hanging inside the restaurant.
I bought it at an online auction.
Sharing the deliciousness of “trim meat,” a staple of the Nakamura family table
How did you come to open the restaurant?
Nakamura
After graduating from school, I spent many years helping at the butcher shop my parents started, Maruyasu Co., Ltd.
Around the beginning of the Heisei era, the butcher shop opened a new business called “Nakamurasan-chi no Umaimono Kobo.”
At the time, I came up with the idea of developing delicacies using trim meat.
These included “Nejikuremon,” made with neck meat, and “Mokappa,” made with kappa.
These cuts are available only in small quantities from each animal, and aren't widely sold on the market.
When they are used, it's usually for ground meat or processed meat products.
But at my house, they were regularly served at the table as ingredients in home-cooked meals.
They were like staff meals.
Still, even though it's trim meat, it's really delicious.
And the meat sold at Nakamurasan-chi no Umaimono Kobo is high-quality, mostly domestically produced, which makes it even tastier.
I thought, “It's affordable and delicious, so I want more people to know about it,” and turned it into a new product.
Around that time, I began dreaming of having my own restaurant.
Why were you interested in running a restaurant?
Nakamura
I've always cooked at home, so I'm good at it.
I also felt that the butcher shop needed to try a new business model when thinking about its future.
As I mentioned earlier, Nakamurasan-chi no Umaimono Kobo developed products using trim meat.
I thought it would be interesting to take that a step further and open a restaurant serving delicacies made with trim meat.
There was also a plot of land owned by the Nakamura family along a main road, so I thought I'd make good use of it and open a restaurant there.
However, the butcher shop is run together with my siblings and nephew.
I couldn't open a restaurant based on my decision alone, so I decided to run it independently as a sister business.
Breaking the meat industry's conventional wisdom to stand out
Why are you committed to serving dishes made with less commonly used cuts?
Nakamura
At butcher shops and yakiniku restaurants, the conventional wisdom is that cuts like kappa and neck meat aren't used, or are used only for ground meat.
Many people think, “There's no way you could turn those into a product.”
Some people who know a little about meat even mistakenly think these are parts that should be thrown away…
But that's exactly why I thought there might be an opportunity.
People are bound by conventional wisdom and fixed ideas, so few pay much attention to them.
But at home, we enjoyed eating kappa and neck meat.
They're cuts that can be delicious when prepared properly.
So I thought, “If no one else is doing it, I'll do it!”
It gives “Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka” a distinctive character you won't find at other restaurants.
“Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka” was the first thing he made happen by acting on his own initiative
What has it been like to leave the family butcher business and try your hand at running a restaurant?
Nakamura
I've worked in the family butcher business for over 30 years.
If you count the time I helped out as a child, it's been even longer.
Because it was a family business, until now I've worked with the mindset that there were things I “should do” and ways I “should do them.”
But “Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka” is a restaurant I started because I wanted to.
For the first time, I acted on my own initiative and got it off the ground.
It gave me a lot of confidence, and I find it rewarding.
He hopes to win an award with “Sunekkajiri” someday
What would you like to take on or achieve in the future?
Nakamura
There's an organization called the Japan Karaage Association, and it holds a competition called the “Karaage Grand Prix®.”
It's divided into categories, and I'd like to enter our “Sunekkajiri” and aim for the grand prize.
There are many hurdles just to enter, but it's one of my goals as I run the restaurant.
From the Writer
Kappa, neck meat, and pork shank.
They may all be unfamiliar cuts that you haven't heard of or seen before.
But they were all delicious in a way that keeps you coming back for more.
Because these cuts aren't widely sold, you can only try them at “Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka.”
That alone makes it worth a visit.
Takeout is also available, which is convenient.
The striking name of the restaurant also has a deeper meaning.
Nakamura has worked in his family's butcher shop for over 30 years.
Be sure to savor these original meat delicacies, which could be called the culmination of his life in the meat business!
Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka details
| Name | Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka |
|---|---|
| Address | 6914 Horinan, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 070-4076-0161 |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 5:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations can be made by phone |
| Seating | 11 seats ・Counter: 3 stools ・Two tables seating four There is also outdoor seating (one table seating four) |
| Smoking | Smoking permitted |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Oniku Bar Ma, Iikka [Official] — Meat delicacies shop run by a butcher in Kurashiki City |
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